A private investigator employed by Eric Richins’ family testified on Monday at the start of the third week of his wife’s murder trial about what was learned while looking into his death. Todd Gabler told the Summit County jury that he was initially contacted shortly after Eric’s death in M arch 2022 by Kristal Bowman Carter, the estate planning attorney Eric had hired to create a trust that did not directly benefit Kouri Richins.  Gabler was then connected in April 2022 with Eric’s sister, Katie Richins Benson, whom Eric had designated as trustee, and explained the role of a private investigator and the procedures he follows when investigating cases. He emphasized his role was to find the truth about what happened to Eric: whether he died of an accidental overdose by his own hand or if Kouri Richins surreptitiously made Eric ingest a massive amount of fentanyl. “The truth is very often difficult for us to accept,” Gabler said.  The independent investigation was paid for by Katie Richins Benson’s husband, Clint, but Gabler said legal operations were handled through the trust. Gabler testified during cross-examination that he billed about 936 hours in the case at an hourly rate of $125, though some speciality services, such as digital forensics, cost about $200 and hour. Defense attorney Kathy Nester estimated his invoice was more than $100,000. As a private investigator, Gabler said no one with the Summit County Sheriff’s Office influenced his work. He first sent materials to his client, and then they discussed sharing it with the Sheriff’s Office. Gabler said there was ultimately full disclosure, with nothing held back. Sheriff’s Deputy Jayme Woody, who previously served as the lead investigator while a detective on the case before transitioning roles to become a K9 handler, testified on Monday that the information shared played a key role in advancing the Sheriff’s Office investigation. However, Gabler said the flow was one-way. The Sheriff’s Office did not share information with Gabler, nor did they have contact until after Kouri’s arrest on May 8, 2023. For example, the Richins couple’s phones were paid for by Eric’s business, so Gabler was able to obtain billing records by gaining permission from Eric’s business partner, Cody Wright.  The private investigator completed around 45-50 interviews of his own, including friends and associates of the Richins couple, as well as Eric’s family. Gabler said Kouri nor her family would participate.  He could also see that Kouri contacted her mother the most, but that Carmen Lauber — a former housekeeper who testified that Kouri asked her to procure drugs on multiple occasions — was among the top three contacts between January and May 2022.  Gabler became suspicious of Lauber because of her criminal history and the number of times she had been in contact with Kouri, and alerted the Sheriff’s Office that she may be involved in Eric’s death. The private investigator ultimately prepared two hard drives for the Summit County Attorney’s Office, one with audio and video recordings as well as photographs, and one with computer forensics, including Eric’s work computer and a “clone” of his iPhone.  The defense was quick to note that Gabler is not law enforcement. However, he noted there are different rules for private investigators, such as not needing a search warrant or a judge’s permission. For instance, Gabler was able to put covert GPS tracking on Kouri’s car as well as her mother’s vehicle. Nester questioned how Gabler logged certain evidence that law enforcement later recovered, to which he replied that everything was documented via video and audio recording. Clint Benson was also aware or present whenever Gabler was in the Richins’ home, the private investigator said. Benson also requested that certain items be removed, such as a safe, or to retrieve items for the Richins’ children. “There was no law enforcement there,” Gabler said. “I don’t need law enforcement to babysit me.” Gabler said that while he may have observed evidence of a “bad marriage,” he did not think that was an immediate concern.  Nester also questioned Gabler on whether he considered similar cases of people selling fentanyl or marijuana-laced fentanyl in Summit County. Gabler said he found no relationship between those incidents and Eric’s death. Prosecutors are expected to call their final witness, Detective Jeff O’Driscoll, on Tuesday. Kouri has pleaded not guilty to charges of aggravated murder, attempted murder and other financial crimes stemming from her husband, Eric Richins’ overdose death on March 4, 2022. Her five-week trial is expected to end March 27. Kouri Richins appears in Third District Court on Monday for the third week of her murder trial. She has pleaded not guilty to all charges. Credit: Court TV/Pool The post Private investigator says independent probe sought ‘truth’ in Eric Richins’ death appeared first on Park Record. ...read more read less